After their hotel was evacuated the couple spent Wednesday night sheltered in the bathroom of a Belgian couple with no food and only bottled water to drink.

With the mass of the storm hitting the island at 2pm GMT on Thursday, the family of the Bricks waited with baited breath to hear news.

“We got news from them on Thursday night to say they are safe and sound and have returned to their hotel,” said Mariah’s aunt, Andrea Crooks.

“They returned earlier in the evening and said they were in their room. They are now waiting to hear about food as they have not eaten in a while.”

She said the couple were in good spirits and would decide on a way forward on Friday.

Mrs Crooks said the hotel the couple had booked was evacuated because it was “unsafe”.

“It had a straw roof and was a very small hotel, so they have moved inland,” she said. “They went to another hotel which was fully booked, but they talked to this Belgian couple who said they could stay in their bathroom until they could find somewhere else.

“They have had no support from anyone. We are in contact but we don’t want to worry them. They have no food and didn’t have any yesterday because all the restaurants have closed down and boarded up.

“The family has all been really upset,” added Mrs Crooks. “We just want them to be safe. I haven’t slept all night worrying because they have not had any help.

“Everything has been devastation.”

The eye of Hurricane Irma - still a category five storm with sustained winds of 180mph - moved westward off the northern coast of Hispaniola on Thursday morning, its winds striking the Dominican Republic and Haiti.